The present invention relates to back supports or lifting belts, and more particularly to a quick release mode of attaching aprons or other accessories to such supports.
Individuals who wear back supports may also wear an apron at the same time. The apron is commonly worn over the back support, but may also be worn under the back support. Either way can be cumbersome, as each device is independent of the other. Commercial back supports with integrated aprons are also available. However, most employers would prefer to utilize the same apron design for all employees, regardless of whether or not they wear a back support. There is thus an outstanding need for a back support which is capable of being combined with a quickly attachable and detachable apron, wherein the apron is usable both with and without a back support.
At the current time there exists a wide variety of back supports and lifting belts, many of which have removably attached accessories, such as aprons. Examples of such types of devices are those shown, by way of example, in the following U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,261, issued to Neil Smith, et al. Sep. 15, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,006, issued to Ernest Gerald Slautterback Dec. 2, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,021, issued to Gerson M. Greengarg Aug. 12, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,020 issued to Gerson M. Greengarg Aug. 12, 1997; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,507 issued to Gerson M. Greengarg Jun. 7, 1994.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,261 is directed to what has become a basic lifting belt. The patent describes the belt as a combination of two belts, a lumbar belt, and an abdominal belt. The lumbar belt is the inner belt and has a lumbar compression pad in its mid-rear portion. Two flaps extend from the compression pad and are releasably secured together at their ends by a hook and loop type connection. The lumbar belt has attached to its outer surface a pair of side pulls, which use loop and hook connections to secure the side pulls to the outside of the lumbar belt, and to secure the ends of the side pulls to one another.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,318,507, 5,656,020, and 5,656,021 describe basically the same types of devices. Those patents illustrate and describe various combinations of a detachable back belt, an apron, and a lifting belt. The lifting belt is a body engaging member With ends that are closed underneath the apron. The patents describe methods for applying the combination of apron, lifting belt, suspenders, and detachable back belt to the user. In one method the lifting belt is first placed around the user. Thereafter, the apron is secured to the overlapped outer ends of the lifting belt, and the suspenders are secured over the shoulders and to the apron. Subsequently the detachable back belt is secured to the lifting belt and to the apron. In another method the combination of apron, lifting belt, suspenders, and detachable back belt are applied to the user by first putting on the apron. Thereafter, the lifting belt is slipped under the apron, the suspenders secured over the shoulders, and the suspenders optionally adjusted for short chested or long torso persons.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,006 describes an assessory base for use with lifting belts. The lifting belts are of the basic type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,261, described earlier herein. The side pulls and the flaps are utilized for a sandwiching type securement of the assessory base between the side pulls and the belt flaps.
The present invention is directed to a back support with sewn in quick lock release buckles for attaching accessories, such as aprons. The quick lock release buckles have male halves which are provided with double feed through securements, and female halves which have single feed through securements. The single feed throughs are used to attach the female halves of the buckles to the back support. The double feed throughs are used to attach the waist ties of an apron to the back support. The waist ties may be of varying width of up to approximately one inch. Each waist tie is threaded through the double feed through securement of the male half of one of the buckles. The single feed throughs of the female halves of the buckles are affixed to each side of the rear of the support belt. This affixation may use nylon webbing or similar material sewn to the support belt. To quickly attach the apron to the belt, the male and female halves of the quick lock release buckles are locked together. The apron waist ties are then adjusted to provide a proper fit of the apron. To remove the apron, the releases on the buckles are pressed and the buckle halves immediately part. The quick lock release buckles are available from numerous vendors. They may be utilized in the arrangement of the invention with either a center or a side release.
Another feature of the invention relates to the back support or belt having side pulls which are either sewn to the rear of the support base or belt, or affixed to the rear of the support base using hook and loop material. This aspect of the invention features a unique arrangement wherein the front or distal ends of the side pulls are held in close proximity to the support base or belt when they are not affixed thereto. On most back supports the fronts of the side pulls fall completely away from the support belt when they are not affixed. According to this feature of the invention the outside of the lumbar support belt includes a pair of vertical strips of nylon webbing. These vertical strips on the outside of the support belt are located at the sides of the belt, positioned between the affixed and distal ends of each of the side pulls. When the distal ends of the side pulls are not affixed, the vertical nylon webbing holds the side pulls close to the support base or belt. It does this by passing between the two portions of each of the side pulls, so that the inner portions of the side pulls are held snugly against the outer surface of the lumbar belt.
It is an object of the invention to provide a back support device having the capability of being efficiently and conveniently used with or without a standard apron.
It is a primary object of the invention to provide a back support device which includes a lumbar support belt with side pulls, wherein there is provision for quick attachment and detachment of an accessory, such as an apron.
It is another object of the invention to provide such quick attachment and detachment through the use of a novel arrangement of quick lock release buckles.
It is yet another object of the invention to fasten such quick release buckles between the lumbar support belt and the waist ties of an apron using nylon webbing fixed to support belt.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a back support device having a lumbar support belt with side pulls wherein there is provision for preventing the side pulls from falling completely away from the lumbar support belt when the ends of the side pulls are unattached.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide such control of the position of the side pulls by nylon webbing or the like material mounted on the outside of the lumbar support belt in a novel fashion.